I’m finding it hard to find a single word that describes the last couple of weeks. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster on a personal level and an extraordinarily busy time on a business level. When Janna and I found out we were pregnant 9 months ago, we were excited and celubrius. The timing seemed to be fine - by the time Janna’s maternity leave was over, I’d be out of the busy wedding season and we’d be in great shape to take care of our baby.
The due date for the baby was August 13. There was one little problem - the summer is a very busy time for me and I had weddings on the 9th, 10th, and 11th of August (not to mention two more on the previous weekend). We had to hope that fate wouldn’t place the birth of our child on this insanely busy August weekend - Janna and I both desparately wanted me to be there during the birth.
The inital few months of the pregnancy was very difficult on Janna - she experienced nausea constantly and spent hours a day vomiting. Near the end of January, things started getting better and the remainder of the pregnancy - up until last week anyway - was relatively a breeze.
On Wednesday of last week, Janna began to experience terrible back labour. Scream out loud kind of pain that made me shiver just watching. She couldn’t eat, sleep, or function in any way. We made 3:00am trips to the Grey Nuns hospital hoping that the baby was ready to come or they could do something for her pain. But nothing seemed to work and no amount of back labour contractions seemed to make her cervix dialate at all.
Fortunately, Janna’s mother made the trip up from Calgary to be with her on Saturday as I attended to my second wedding of the weekend. Though focused on my job, I was emotional and tired - battling constant worry about my wife and the baby and functioning on nowhere near enough sleep.
About an hour into Allise and Michael’s reception on Saturday, I received a phone message from Janna’s mom. The contractions were coming every couple of minutes now and had been for two hours - they were going to the hospital. I crossed my fingers at that point that perhaps it was really going to happen. I was less concerned about being their at that point, I just wanted relief for Janna who had lead a torturous existance for several days.
About an hour passed and as dinner was being eaten, I called Janna’s mother’s cell. Unbelievably, they got a flat tire on the way to the hospital. No joke. To the kind gentleman that lent these ladies assistance in changing the tire - I thank you from the bottom of my heart. There are some kind strangers out there after all.
Another hour passed and another message appeared on my phone. Janna’s cervix was 5cm dialated - I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
When I finished up at the wedding, I headed straight for the Grey Nuns. Janna was up to 6cm now and still contracting regularly. She was now blessedly under the influence of an epideral and feeling heavenly in the relief it provided from her excruciating back pain. A couple hours passed and the nurse suggested that Janna start pushing. And pushing she did - every muscle in her body shook with extreme exertion. After two and half hours though, the baby had made almost no progress. A couple of specialists came in and finally suggested a c-section after it looked like the baby wasn’t going to make it past the pelvis.
Twenty minutes later - near 6:00am, I was dressed in scrubs and holding Janna’s hand behind a small curtain draped across her chest as three doctors diligently performed the c-section. There were so many things going through my mind. I was frustrated, tired, and watching my conscious wife in disbelief as three doctors sliced her in half just a couple of feet away. What she had been through and what she was going through was astonishing. To say that I was and am extremely proud of her would be an understatement.
Then it just happened.
A cry.
A tiny little cry from a little person who’d caught a glimpse of the world around her for the first time.
At about 6:14am, Kira Rachel Kasumovic was born.
My eyes and those of my wife immediately lit up - we experienced something that was probably similar to what Kira did. Being yanked from something that seemed surreal into reality in a split second.
I watched in stunned fascination as several other doctors and nurses worked on my daughter. That’s where the photos begin.
The first seconds of Kira’s life as the doctors and nurses worked to clean her lungs and ensure she was healthy and not in any imminent danger.
A quick look back at the big silly looking guy with the camera.
Moments later, I’d cut the umbilical cord. What did I feel as I did it? Just worry - I wanted to make sure I didn’t somehow screw it up! Below, a nurse tends to the cut cord.
I carried the baby for awhile as the doctors closed up my wife. Janna was barely lucid at that point - exhaustion combined with the anesthesia had taken their toll. Thirty minutes later, Janna was wheeled into the recovery area. Though barely conscious, she could still stare in awe at little bundle of joy she’d just brought into the world.
I had to get home at that point. It was 7:00am - I had to start shooting the day’s wedding at 11:30am and I hadn’t downloaded the previous day’s cards or recharged any batteries yet. As it turned out, I managed one hour of sleep before heading out to the wedding. I finished up the wedding at about 7:30pm and headed back to the hospital. My body felt like it had been hit by a steamroller and my eyelids needed toothpicks to keep them up - but I was going! Janna was looking alot better. She had some colour back in her skin and looked like she was pleasantly glowing holding Kira.
Monday evening came with some good news. Janna was doing very well and the doctor hinted that she might be discharged on Tuesday. I arrived at the hospital Tuesday morning when Janna was receiving her examination. It was official - we were going home with an extra little passenger. Below, Kira tries out the car seat for the first time. There was a little bit of crying and flailing at first, but she settled into it and finally napped soundly.
Since Tuesday, we’ve been at home and adapting to a beautiful and demanding baby. While her little grins make my heart melt, she isn’t afraid to let you know when it’s time for a diaper change or feeding. Other than that, however, she’s very easy going and extremely aware of and interested in the world around her for a baby of her age. When she’s not sleeping anyway. 
Just yesterday, Kira enjoyed her first bath. She wasn’t terribly fond of the water but seemed extra relaxed and calm when mom brought her out and dried her off.
Thank you to everyone for your words of support over the last few days - it’s nice to see so many people with kind comments for us. While I won’t be making regular baby photo blog photos, I’ll be keeping a regular stream of photos up on my facebook account. If you’re ever curious about how Kira’s doing or progressing - just send me a friend request there. For now, I’ll leave you with one of Kira’s infamous grins.
